Hotel clinches council approval to become senior housing facility
LONDON: The trend to convert hotels into seniors housing has accelerated during COVID as lockdowns depress travel and owners seek alternative usage.
The Kirkley Hotel on Candlers Mountain Road could transition from its existing business to an age-restricted senior housing facility, with about 100 patient rooms, sometime in the future.
Runk & Pratt Companies, owner of the Kirkley Hotel as well as several senior-living communities in the region, initially announced plans to potentially remodel the hotel into a retirement-living community for seniors in March.
Tuesday evening, Lynchburg City Council unanimously approved the rezoning petition for 3.9 acres on portions of 2900 Candlers Mountain Road and 5212 Woodall Road, removing proffers that would have prevented the hotel from operating as a care center or nursing home.
Justin Fournier, with Balzer & Associates, the planners for the project, said there would be little change to the exterior of the hotel and no expansion of the building itself, with most changes being interior remodeling.
According to the March news release, if the project moves forward, the Kirkley Hotel will continue to operate as a hotel until major renovations begin in late 2021 or early 2022.
Also approved Tuesday was a petition from GDG Lynchburg Apartments LLC to rezone 4.9 acres at the same address to allow the property to be developed as a mini storage facility.
The proposed facility would consist of several single-story buildings; a three-story, climate-controlled storage building and space for outdoor storage of RVs and boats. The property that would house the storage facility abuts the lot of the Kirkley Hotel.
The owners of both 5212 Woodall Road and 2900 Candlers Road have agreed to a land swap and a subdivision plat will be required to modify the property lines for these two parcels.
Fournier also represented this project, and said the storage facility is separate from the senior housing, and would be a commercial-use storage facility.
